Paving stone including an infiltration region and associated method of manufacturing

ABSTRACT

A paving stone comprises at least one functional region comprising, a primary connecting system comprising at least two upper connecting portions, and a secondary connecting system comprising at least two lower connecting portions; and at least one infiltration region. The at least one functional region and the at least one infiltration region are positioned on a same side of the paving stone. The at least two upper connection portions and at least two lower connecting portions of functional regions of adjacent paying stones are configured to cooperate with each other to form a narrow joint in a region of the primary connecting system and a wide joint in the region of the secondary connecting system. The at least one infiltration region of the adjacent paving stones tbrrn a chamber which is open at a bottom end.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED INVENTION

This application is a national stage application pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/DE2019/000300, filed on Nov.16, 2019, which claims priority to, and benefit of, German PatentApplication Nos. 10 2018 009 201.2, filed Nov. 21, 2018 and 10 2018 010067.8, filed Dec. 20, 2018, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The following disclosure relates to an improved paving stone.

BACKGROUND

A paving stone is disclosed, for example, in EP 2 966 223. The disclosedpaving stone is characterized in that it has a plurality of protrudingconnecting portions arranged spaced apart from one another on at leastone side face, wherein these connecting portions comprise a lowerprimary connecting system and an upper secondary connecting system. Inthis case, the connecting portions of the primary connecting systemprotrude further from the side face than the connecting portions of thesecondary connecting system, so that in the laid state with. aneighboring stone a narrow joint is produced in the lower region and asubstantially wider joint is produced in against displacement whilst thesecondary connecting system is designed to provide a correspondinglylarge buffer space for joint material in order to guarantee the desiredflexibility of the laid paving.

With the disclosed paving stone, the sung portions are ged at equalspacings from one another on the side face of the paving stone, whereinin the laid state the corresponding connecting portions of theneighboring stone engage in the intermediate spaces of the connectingportions of the one paving stole, and in this manner produce thecorresponding protection against displacement or respectively, generatea connecting action.

Such a paving stone thus ensures a good protection against displacementin the lower part and a good buffering in the upper part. Moreover, alower joint seal for joint material is substantially achieved by meansof the narrowjoint in the lower part so that this joint material is notable to escape downwardly

The object of the present irtw invention t is to develop a paving stonehaving a good connecting action and improved drainage properties alongwith an associated method of manufacture.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of a paving stone comprises alternating functional regionsand infiltration regions on at least one side face. The functionalregions each comprise a lower primary connecting system with at leasttwo connecting portions protruding far from the side face and an uppersecondary connecting system with at least two connecting portionsprotruding less far. The connecting portions of the connecting systemscooperate only within the functional regions with correspondingconnecting portions of a neighboring paving stone in the manner of atoothed rod, such that within the functional regions a narrow joint isformed in the region of the primary connecting system with theneighboring paving stone and a wide joint is formed in the region of thesecondary connecting system, and wherein for forming a chamber which isopen at the bottom the infiltration regions do not have their ownconnecting portions and are configured such that in the laid state ofthe paving stones they do not receive any connecting portions of aneighboring paving stone.

Paving stones of the prior art described above have good connectingproperties and also ensures a good protection against displacement andbuffering. However, due to the narrow joint which is formed in the lowerstone region and which extends over the entire side face of the stone,the removal of water in the laid paving poses certain problems. Thus inthis case it may lead to water collecting on the paving surface sincethe intended primary connecting system permits only a relatively lowwater infiltration.

The inventive paving stone disclosed herein has improved infiltrationwhile also providing good buffering and protection against displacement.In an embodiment, functional regions and infiltration regions arcalternately provided on at least one side face of the paving stone. Inthis embodiment, the functional regions ensure with a primary and asecondary connecting system the desired protection against displacementand buffering, whilst the infiltration regions which are arrangedbetween the functional regions and which form open chambers withoutconnecting portions ensure a rapid drainage of the paving. It isessential here that infiltration regions, which are separate from thefunctional regions, are provided so that the infiltrating water is notable to impair the desired buffering in the functional regions, or onlyslightly, i.e. joint material is able to be entrained downwardly, sothat an undesired direct contact between neighboring stones is avoidedthereby.

In an embodiment, the connecting portions or the paving stones arearranged or, respectively, configured such that in the laid state, thefunctional regions of a first stone alwa cooperate with functionalregions of a second stone and infiltration regions of a first stonealways cooperate with infiltration regions of a second stone. As aresult, downwardly open chambers, which in the laid state of the pavingstones are not narrowed by connecting portions of neighboring stones,are formed as infiltration regions.

Accordingly, primary and secondary connecting systems are arranged onlyin the functional regions, whilst open chambers are configured in theinfiltration regions. In paving with laid paving stones, therefore,substantially downwardly closed joints in the functional regionsalternate with joints which are open at the bottom in the infiltrationregions.

In an embodiment, a specific separation is carried out into regionswhich ensure the connecting functions and regions which ensure a removalof water (infiltration). As a result, joint material which is requiredin the functional regions is not able to be flushed out downwardly sincethese regions are substantially sealed downwardly. Thus the lowerprimary connecting system is preferably configured such that theconnecting portions thereof engage almost positively with connectingportion channels of a neighboring paving stone, maintaining a smallspacing to form the narrow joint. In other words, in these regions ajoint which is as narrow as possible and which corresponds to an almostpositive connection is intended to be achieved but, on the other hand, adirect contact between the laid paving stones is intended to be avoidedin order to maintain the desired flexibility of the laid paving.

As mentioned above, the primary connecting system is configured in thefunctional regions such that a narrow joint is formed with adjacentlypositioned stones. In one embodiment, this is achieved by the connectingportions and/or the connecting portion channels of the primaryconnecting system having small protruding projections lbr contact withthe side faces or connecting portion channels and/or connecting portionsof neighboring paving siones. As a result, a contact of the stones withone another is produced only via the small protruding projections sothat a contact which is made over a longer distance is avoided and analmost positive contact may be maintained between neighboring stones. Asa result, it is substantially ensured that the functional regions aresealed at the bottom so that no joint material is able to escapedownwardly. Any combination is possible.

In an embodiment, the connecting portions of the primary connectingsystem are configured to be meandering, in particular undulating, overthe functional regions. In this case, therefore, with adjacentlypositioned stones the meandering or, respectively, undulating connectingportions of the neighboring paving stones may abut one another,preferably maintaining a narrow joint. “Meandering” in this case isunderstood to mean portions which are alternately protruding andrecessed and which can be configured both in a curved and rectilinearmanner. Preferably, an undulating design is used, wherein here both theconnecting portions and the connecting portion channels are providedwith the aforementioned small protruding projections. In particular, theconnecting portions of the primary corereeting system are configured asa continuous strip over the functional regions.

Embodiments of the inventive paving stone may result in a narrow jointbetween paving stones or may comprise a posit contact. It has been foundthat embodiments with a narrow joint are most preferred. It is desiredthat these regions extend only over the functional regions and not intothe infiltration regions. The connecting regions of the primaryconnecting system may also be configured such that, in the laid state, ajoint of almost equal width is produced with a neighboring paving stone.

As a whole, therefore, a protection against displacement, buffering,protection against loss ofjoint material and infiltration of thesortlice water may be achieved by the inventive paving stones. Theprimary connecting system in the functional region in the lower stoneregion reduces the potential for displacement between neighboring stonesby means of narrow spacings (positive connection at maximum) betweenconnecting portions or, respectively, side faces and optimizes therebythe protection against displacement. The secondary connecting system inthe functional region in the upper stone region ensures aan optimalbuffering with generous spacings between connecting portions or,respectively, side faces of neighboring stones. This generous bufferingspace in the upper stone region is required since each individual stone,when loaded in the horizontal direction by road traffic, rotatesslightly about its horizontal central axis svithin the clearance whichthe buffering provides. The buffering ensures that the stonesubsequently returns to its original position and the neighboring stonesalso remain in their positions since the horizontal force reduced by thebuffering is not sufficient to displace the neighboring stones.

In an embodiment, the primary connecting system is configured such thatits primary connecting portions taper slightly upwardly. The connectingportions of the primary and secondary connecting system are preferablyalso arranged such that they are positioned one above the other. In anembodiment, the connecting portions of the secondary connecting systemare configured, in particular, to be semi circular in cross section. Inan embodiment, the connecting portions of the primary connecting systemare configured to be meandering or, respectively, undulating andtransition into connecting portions of the secondary connecting system,which in cross section have the aforementioned semi-circular design. Ithas been shown that this shape of the connecting portions of thesecondary connecting system is particularly suitable for absorbinglateral loads.

In an embodiment, the transition between the connecting portions of theprimary and secondary connecting systems is configured as a step risingfrom the center to the edges of the connecting portions. This embodimenthas proved particularly suitable in terms of production technology.

The present invention further relates to paving eoinpoSed of a pluralityof paving stones of the type described above.

The invention is described in detail hereinafter with reference toexemplary embodiments in conjunction with the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a joint region between anenibodiment of two neighboring paving stones;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic vertical section through an embodiment oftwo adjacently positioned paving stones; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of joint between another embodimentof two neighboring paving stones.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows the joint between two adjacently positioned paving stones1, 2. These paving stones 1, 2 may be, for example, rectangular stoneswhich have a lower side, an upper side and four side faces. Each sideface may be provided alternately with functional regions 6 andinfiltration regions 5 which may extend over a part of a side face overthe entire side face. The functional regions 6 and infiltration regions5 may be arranged in a specific pattern (repeating pattern).

The corresponding functional regions 6 have in each case a lower primaryconnecting system and an upper secondary connecting system arrangedthereabove (not shown here) in each case comprise two protrudingconnecting portions 3, wherein the connecting portions the secondaryconnecting system do not protrude as far as the connecting portions 3 ofthe primary connecting system. The respective connecting portions ofthese primary and secondary systems are arranged one on top of theother.

The primary connecting system of each functional region 6 thus comprisestwo protruding connecting portions 3, a corresponding channel beingarranged therebetween. FIG. 1 shows the two stones 1 and 2 in theadjacently positioned state, wherein here small protruding projections 4at the tips of the connecting portions 3 of the primary connectingsystem are respectively in contact with the side face of the neighboringstone. In this manner, a narrow continuous joint is formed in thefunctional regions 6 in the region of the primary connecting system.

Infiltration regions 5, in which no connecting portions are provided,are arranged between the respective functional regions 6 and, even inthe adjacently positioned state of the stones, no connecting portions ofa neighboring stone occupy the infiltration regions 5. As shown, theinfitration regions 5 and the functional regions 6 are respectivelyarranged alternately.

FIG. 2 shows two adjacently positioned paving stones 1, 2 which in thefunctional region 6 form a narrow joint 7 in the lower region and a widejoint 8 in the upper region. By the arrangement shown here of functionalregions 6 and infiltration regions 5 which are arranged alternately toone another, a protection against displacement is achieved by theprimary connecting system, a buffering (by filling with joint material)is achieved by the secondary connecting system, a corresponding jointseal is achieved in the functional region and a drainage is achieved viathe infiltration region 5.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, therefore, the narrow joint betweenthe two neighboring stones is achieved by the small projections 4 on thetip of the connecting portions 3 of the primary connecting system.Conversely, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the connecting portions atprimary connecting system are configured to be undulating, so that whenadjacently positioning two neighboring stones, the respective connectingportions 3 abut one another with a substantially positive connection or,depending on the type of layout, may be arranged with a spacing. Theconnecting portions 9 of the secondary connecting system arrangedthereabove are configured to be approximately semi-circular in sectionso that a further joint is produced. Here too, infiltration regions 5are arranged alternately between the respective functional regions 6,said infiltration regions forming downwardly open chambers and noconnecting portions being arranged therein.

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A paving stone comprising; at least one functionalregion comprising, a primary connecting system comprising at least twoupper connecting portions, and a secondary connecting system comprisingat least two lower connecting portions; and at least one infiltrationregion, wherein the at least one functional region and the at least oneinfiltration region are positioned on a same side of the paving stone,wherein, the at least two upper connection portions and at least twolower connecting portions of functional regions of adjacent pavingstones are configured to cooperate with each other to form a narrowjoint in a region of the primary connecting system and a wide joint inthe region of the secondary connecting system, and wherein the at leastone infiltration region of the adjacent paving stones form a chamberwhich is open at a bottom end.
 13. The paving stone according to claim12, wherein the at least two upper connecting portions of the primaryconnecting system are configured to engage connecting portion channelsof the adjacent paving stone in order to form the narrow joint.
 14. Thepaving stone according to claim 13, wherein one of: (1) the at least twoupper connecting portions; and (2) the connecting portion channelscomprise small protruding projections configured to contact theconnecting portion channels of the adjacent paving stone.
 15. The pavingstone according to claim 13, wherein one of; (1) the at least two upperconnecting portions; and (2) the connecting portion channels comprisesmall protruding projections configured to contact connecting portionsof the adjacent paving stone.
 16. The paving stone according to claim12, wherein the at least two upper connecting portions of the primaryconnecting system are configured to comprise one or more undulationsextending over the at least one functional region.
 17. The paving stoneaccording to claim 12, wherein the at least two upper connectingportions of the primary connecting system are configured as a continuousstrip over the at least one functional region.
 18. The paving stoneaccording to claim 12, wherein the at least two upper connectingportions of the primary connecting system are configured such that ajoint of almost equal width is produced with the adjacent paving stone.19. The paving stone according to claim 12, wherein the at least twoupper connecting portions taper upwardly.
 20. The paving stone accordingto claim 12, wherein the at least two lower connecting portions arepositioned in an extension of the at least two upper connectingportions.
 21. The paving stone according to claim 12, wherein the atleast two lower connecting portions are configured to comprise asemi-circular cross-section.
 22. The paving stone according to claim 12,wherein a transition between the upper and lower connecting portions isconfigured as a step rising from a center to an edge of the upper andlower connecting portions.